2011 Blazers News

The War was over, the servicemen were home and the boom years were sweeping the country. The number of minor leagues increased from 12 in 1945 to 50 in 1946. The Class D North Atantic League was one of the new leagues and was formed in Allentown under Ernest "Duke" Landgraft on January 16, 1946. The veteran Allentown baseball man was elected President, Secretary and Treasurer for the first season. The league planned for a 126 game season with opening day of May 8, 1946. The season would end on Labor Day with a four team playoff. Teams for the initial season included the Bloomingdale Troopers, Carbondale Pioneers, Mahanoy City Bluebirds, Nazareth Cement Dusters, Newburgh/Walden Hummingbirds, Nyack Rocklands, Peekskill Highlanders and Stroudsburg Poconos. Peekskill won the initial season with a 82-32 record and defeated Carbondale in the playoffs. TONY NAPLES posted an 18-0 record for Peekskill, a New York Giants affiliate. STAN BENJAMIN hit .312 for Nazareth as a player/manager and the team finished second with a 78-40 log. Benjamin played outfield in part of five big league seaons and served as one of the Phillies' regular outfielders in 1941 when he hit .235 with three home runs. He joined the Astros as a scout in 1965 and remained with the organization for nearly 40 years. JOE ANTOLICK (Stroudsburg), BILL KALFASS (Nyack) and ALEX GARBOWSKI (Nyack) were other former major league players in the NAL. Bloomingdale had an outstanding group of rookies. DANNY O'CONNELL, a 19 year old from St. Bonaventure High School in Paterson, signed a free agent contract with the Dodgers' affiliate and hit .327. O' Connell made his major league debut in 1950 with Pittsburgh and played ten seasons in the big leagues as an infielder with the Pirates, Braves, Giants and Senators. " SOUR MASH JACK" DANIELS hit .313 and was an outfielder for the Boston Braves in 1952. CARL "SWISH" SAWATSKI, an 18 year old catcher from Shickshinny hit .279 with seven home runs. He returned to the Troopers in 1949 and established a league record with 34 home runs. Sawatski played eleven big league seasons and hit .293 for the Phillies with nine home runs in 1959. Shillington native, HARRY SCHAEFFER posted a 12-6 record for Stroudsburg and pitched in five games for the Yankees in 1952. In 1947 the Kingston Dodgers replaced Walden and won the regular season with an 81-28 record. Carbondale won the playoffs over Peekskill and drew 85,500 fans to Russell Park during the season. Player/manager PAT COLGAN led the Pioneers and was promoted to manager of Terre Haute and Utica in the Phillies system. He served as a scout for many years and last managed at Burlington in 1963 where he developed a young Cuban refugee pitcher by the name of LUIS TIANT. Tiant made his debut with the Indians the following year and went on to win 229 games in nineteen MLB seasons. In 1948 AL GARDELLA, player/manager for Peekskill, posted a 12-1 record as the Highlanders won the regular season with an 84-29 record. Gardella and his brother DANNY played for the New York Giants in 1945. Al only had 26 at bats while Danny had a big year with a .272 average and 18 home runs. Al played every position for Peekskill from 1946 to 1949 and in 1950 he was reunited with his brother on the Bangor team. Carbondale swept the Highlanders in the playoffs under player/manager DAN CARNEVALE who hit 20 home runs. Carnevale played for for Scranton in the Eastern League from 1941 to 1947 with the war interuption in 44 and 45. He had 5492 at bats in fifteen minor league seasons and was the first base coach for the A's in 1970. He ended his pro career as manager of Portland in the Pacific Coast League in 1972. The Lansdale Dukes replaced Kingston in 1948 and were noted for their lack of success both on and off the field. The Dukes had the usual blend of local rookies, out-of-town signees and seasoned veterans; however there was excess turnover of players and managers as the team floundered to a 28-101 record, 54 games out of first place. Of the 25 Class D leagues, only Dover of the Eastern Shore League posted a worse record, 26-100. DICKIE BATTAVIO was a local product who made it to Schenectady, an A level affiliate of the Phillies. Veteran TONY PARISSE also caught for the A's on 1943 and 1944. The Dukes drew a league low 14,100 fans and only 23 showed up on the tainy night of August 20 to see a doubleheader with Peekskill. BILL BURICH was the player/manager for Nazareth and in 1944 hit .284 for the Phillies in 1946. JIM LEMON, a 20 year old outfielder from Covington, Virginia, was the top rookie as he hit .292 with eleven home runs for Bloomingdale, a Cleveland affiliate. He made his debut with the Indians in 1950 and hit 164 home runs with 529 RBI in twelve major league seasons. In 1960 he slugged 38 home runs for the Washington Senators and made the AL All-Star Team. 1949 was a big year for the Stroudsburg Poconos. The Cleveland affiliate posted a 101-36 record and finished 20.5 games ahead of the Lebanon Chix. ED VARHELY (20-2) and player/manager FRANK RADLER (12-2) topped the staff. Easton's JOHN ROTHENHAUSLER hit .377 which was second in the league to J.C. DUNN of Lebanon at .384. Rothenhausler had 800 hits and a .318 career average in eight years of pro ball which ended at Corpus Christi in 1955. STAN PAWLOSKI, a 17 year old Wanamie native, hit .329 and played briefly for Cleveland in 1955. HARRY WARNER, a 20 year old from Reeders, posted a .347 average and went on to play and manage in pro ball through 1983. His carreer record was 1,381-1,226 and he managed Toronto in Roy Hartsfield's absence in 1978. He scouted from 1984 to 1990. Palmerton native CLARENCE HEFFELFINGER returned to pro ball at age 31 and pitched 263 innings with 28 complete games for the Bangor Pickers. KENTON LLOYD BOYER was the big time rookie for the Lebanon Chix in 1949. The 18 year old from Missouri signed as a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals and posted a 5-1 record. His .455 batting average and .818 slugging average indicated that his future would be as a position player. Boyer went on to become one of the best third basemen to ever play the game. Ken Boyer won gold gloves from 1958 to 1961 and was MajorLeague Player of the Year in 1964. He was a NL All-Star in 1956 and from 1959 through 1964. He played in the Majors until 1969 and hit 282 career home runs with 1141 RBI and a .287 career average. Several local players also performed well on their way to the big leagues in 1949. NORM LARKER, a 18 year old from Beaver Meadows, hit .299 for Hazleton. The left-handed first baseman progressed through the Brooklyn Dodgers' system and made his debut with the LA Dodgers at age 27. Larker played six seasons in the Majors and finished second in the National League with a .323 average while making the 1960 NL All-Star team. RON MROZINSKI, an 18 year old LHP from White Haven, posted a 10-12 record for Carbondale with a 4.34 ERA in 172 innings. He madehis debut with the Phillies in 1954 after a midseason callup. He spent the entire 1955 season with the Phillies as a reliever and appeared in 22 games, closing out eleven of them. The NAL perserverance award went to PRENTICE ALMONT BROWN. "Pidge" hit .303 for Peekskill at age 20 and arrived in the big leagues with Houston at age 33 in 1962. He hit .210 in 65 games for the Colt. 45s as a left handed hitting first baseman. In 1950 Lebanon won the regular season with a 87-46 record and edged Stroudsburg, three games to two, as the playoffs were stopped by bad weather. Hazleton player/manager GEORGE PFISTER topped the league with a .334 average while FRANK RADLER won 21 games for Stroudsburg. Pfister caught a game for the Brooklyn Dodgers at age 22 in 1941. He was a farm director for the Yankees and a long time executive in MLB operations. The league continued to serve as a first step for local players on their way to the big leagues. Blakely native STAN PALYS hit .318 for Carbondale and made his debut with the Phillies in 1953. He split the 1955 season with the Philies and the Cincinnati Redlegs while hitting .241 with eight home runs and 38 RBI. HAL WOODESHICK, a 17 year old LHP from the Wilkes-Barre area, pitched briefly for Carbondale. Woodeshick would pitch for eleven seasons in the big leagues and made the 1963 All-Star team with Houston. In 1964 he was the NL save leader with 24 saves. In January 1951 Duke Landgraf called for a meeting to prepare for the 1951 season. Suprisingly officials of the league voted to disband the the league at a follow up meeting in Stroudsburg in February. The vote was controversial and fans expressed their disappointment especially in Carbondale. The Korean war took its toll on the players and television began to compete for night entertainment. The history of the NAL is much more than the forementioned players. Many other local baseball legends such as Braves scout JOE CAPUTO (Stroudsburg,1946), Lansdale's LEE SAVERIO (Mahanoy City 48, MC/Bangor 49) and Skippack's ART BUSTARD (Lansdale 1948) played in the league and developed players for many years. The current success of Major League Baseball derives from the many players who toiled in the minors after World War II. All of us owe a big thanks to these players for their contributions to the national pasttime. A special thanks to Mark Coons for his info and to www.baseball-reference.com for the stats. Any additions or other info about the NAL may be sent to Tom Bonekemper 1760 Joanne Drive Quakertown,PA 18951.

Pete Andrelczyk (Quakertown Blazers) was selected to play for Team USA in the upcoming World Cup in Panama scheduled for October 1 thru 15. Andrelczyk was a fifth round selection of the Marlins out of Coastal Carolina. He is one of their top prospects and posted a 9-3 record with a 2.26 ERA this summer while pitching for Jacksonville (AA) and New Orleans (AAA). The 6-2 RHP went 3-1 in 22 innings for the Blazers in 2006.

Click here to read a related article From Coastal Carolina Baseball

A.J. Battisto who also pitched on the 2006 Blazers has returned from rehab and pitched well at Jupiter(High A) in the Marlins system.

The 2011 Blazers finished in third place in the Wolff Division with an 18-20 record and lost 5-2 to the Lehigh Valley Catz in the playoffs. A no-hitter by Lou Trivino was the highlight of the season. Trivino also posted a 4-2 record with 50 strikeouts in 45 innings. Dave Putman recorded a 3-0 log with two saves while Tim Mayza added two saves. Bobby Applegate and Casey Cooperman combined for six wins and 103 innings. Offensively Jeff Wiand topped the team with a .298 average and thirteen stolen bases. Dan Johnson hit .292 with four triples while Brandon Sady batted .280. Chris Ray was a steady performer at third base while batting .273 with eleven stolen bases. Chad Warga was outstanding behind the plate with 25 assists. The Blazers look forward to 2012 with a good nucleus of players returning for next season.

The Lehigh Valley Catz defeated the Quakertown Blazers 5-3 in the third place at second place playoff game on Tuesday evening. Dennis Hocker, Dan Johnson and Tim Mayza each had two hits for the Blazers. The Blazers finish the 2011 season with an 18-21 record.

On Sunday Lou Trivino was the first Blazer to pitch a solo no-hitter in the 28 years of Blazer baseball. In 1986 Mo Sanford and Bobby Gantz combined for a seven inning no hitter against Long Island. Sanford went on to pitch in the big leagues for the Reds (1991), Rockies (1993) and Twins (1995). In 2001 Jared Trout, Bob Truskey and Jim Gendaszek combined for a nine inning no-hitter against Scranton. The Blazers are now 17-17 and return home on Tuesday evening to face the New York Atlantics in a 5pm twi-night doubleheader.

The Blazers gathered twelve hits to defeat the North Jersey Eagles 7-5 in the opener. Jeff Wiand had three hits while Sean Saverio and Chad Warga each added two. Dave Putman pitched the last two innings to get the win. Jose Diaz hit a three run homer as the Eagles scored eight times in the sixth inning to gain a 9-8 win. The Blazers travel to North Jersey tomorrow for a doubleheader and return home on Tuesday evening for a 5pm twinight DH with the New York Atlantics. The Blazers are now 15-17 and are trying to hold on to the third place playoff slot.

The Blazers unleashed a 16 hit attack and defeated the Lehigh Valley Catz 8-4 on Thursday evening in Easton. Jeff Wiand had three hits including a two run home run and a RBI single. Chris Ray, Andrew Farris, Brandon Sady, Dan Johnson, Dan Sieracki and Chad Warga each added two hits. Tim Mayza pitched five innings for the win and allowed two runs. Mike Weinhold pitched the sixth and seventh inning and also gave up two runs while Lou Trivino held the Catz scoreless for the last two innings. The Blazers return home on Saturday for an important 1pm doubleheader with North Jersey.

The Blazers fell to a 12-16 record after losing to the North Jersey Eagles 11-5 on Tuesday evening. The Alvernia duo of Chris Ray and Mike Weinhold each contributed three hits in a losing cause. The Blazers host the Lehigh Valley Catz at 7pm on Wednesday evening in an attempt to regain third place for the final playoff slot.

The Blazers defeated the Long Island Collegians 5-2 and 8-5 this afternoon at New York Tech. Dan Sieracki belted a three run home run in the opener to power the Blazers as Lou Trevino picked up the win. Dan Johnson hit a three run homer in the second game while Tim Mayza was the winning pitcher. The Blazers return home on Tuesday evening to host the North Jersey Eagles in a battle for the final playoff slot.

The Blazers were edged 1-0 in the opener of a doubleheader against the Jersey Pilots this evening. Casey Cooperman was a tough luck loser as he scattered five hits and one run. The Blazers had men on base in every inning, but failed to get a clutch hit when needed. Rob Corsi gained the win for the Pilots. The Pilots had four runs in the second and fifth inning to win the nightcap 8-1 as John Barr took the loss. The Blazers hope to improve on their 10-13 record on Saturday when they host the Pilots on Blazers Alumni Day at 1pm in Memorial Park.

The East met the West at Monday night’s Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game, held at MCU Park in Brooklyn. After falling short in last year’s contest, the East, consisting of the five Hamptons teams and the Long Island Collegians, turned the tides on the West, scoring a 5-4 victory. North Fork first baseman Matt Carroll (San Jose State) had two hits and drove in three runs to lead the East attack. He shared MVP honors with the West’s Robert Bernardo, who went 2 for 3 with three stolen bases in a losing cause. The East fell behind 2-0 and 3-2 until Carroll delivered a two-run single as part of a three-run seventh inning to put his side ahead. Kevin Heller (Amherst), the Hampton Division’s leader in average, homers and RBI, blooped a single into left; it plated what amounted to be the game-winning run. The West, which consisted of teams from the Wolff Division as well as Staten Island and New York of the Kaiser Division, struck back for a run in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by North Jersey’s Ryan Quinn (Cincinnati), but Riverhead’s Brett Schreiber (Hofstra) prevented further damage in the seventh. Southampton righty Jared Wagner (Pacific) pitched a scoreless eighth, with help from his Breaker battery mate Stuart Turner (LSU-Eunice), who picked off a runner who led too far off first base. In the ninth, East manager Brian Hansen turned to Westhampton flamethrower Brandon Kuter (George Mason) to shut the door. The ACBL leader in saves hit a batter to put the tying run on base, but with Anthony D’Alessandro at the plate, the runner took off and Turner fired a bullet to second to catch him stealing, ending the game. The West scored a run in each of the first three innings. It built a 2-0 lead when the Atlantics’ Robert Fargnoli (Lafayette) delivered an RBI double to open the scoring, and then Lehigh Valley outfielder Dan Klem (La Salle) rapped a single up the middle to pad the West’s lead. That lead evaporated in the third when Westhampton’s Ray Ortega (Manhattan) lined a double to left center, scoring Riverhead infielder Eric Schlitter (Bridgeport) with the East’s first run. Then Carroll singled to right to score Ortega, tying the game. The West touched up Long Island righty Bo Budkevics (C.W. Post) for a run in the third, and it could have had more if not for Southampton shortstop Robb Scott (Bucknell), who cut down a runner at the plate by throwing a strike to Ortega. The East was also able to quell West rallies with a pair of double plays. Sag Harbor righty Kevin McCarthy (Marist) was credited with the victory after tossing a scoreless sixth inning. From the West, the likes of New York’s Matt Soren (Delaware) and Lehigh Valley’s Lee Sosa (Binghamton) impressed not only in pitching 1-2-3 innings but in eclipsing 90 miles per hour on the radar gun.

Ryan Vogelsong (Quakertown Blazers, 1996-1997) was named to the National League All-Star Team on Sunday. The 82nd All-Star game will be held July 12 at Phoenix's Chase Field. Vogelsong is 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 84 innings for the Giants. Opponents are hitting .222 against him and he has 68 strikeouts.

The Blazers outscored the Lehigh Valley Catz 6-4 on Wednesday evening. Dan Johnson had three hits while Dave Sieracki and Chris Ray each added two hits. Casey Cooperman and Bobby Applegate shared the pitching duties. The Blazers are now 7-5 and travel to Easton on Saturday for a 1pm start against the Lehigh Valley Catz.

On Sunday July 3 the Quakertown Blazers will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the North Atlantic League, a Class D Minor League from 1946 to 1950. Former players are invited as special guests of the Blazers to attend the 1pm doubleheader with the Jersey Pilots in Memorial Park. Two members of the 1949 championship Stroudsburg team, Don Sweda and Jack Rothenhausler are expected to attend along with Lee Saverio (Mahanoy City/Bangor) and Art Bustard (Lansdale).

Ryan Vogelsong (Quakertown Blazers 1996,1997) gave up only one run, four hits and a walk in seven innings as the Giants ended the Twins eight game winning streak on Wednesday with a 5-1 win. The 6-4 right-hander has allowed two runs or fewer in nine consecutive starts and is 5-1 with a 1.86 ERA which essentially ties Josh Beckett for the Major League lead. Last year he was playing in AAA with Lehigh Valley and Salt Lake City; this year he is a serious contender for the National League All-Star team.

The Staten Island Tide (2-1) at Quakertown Blazers (2-2) double header scheduled for today has been postponed due to field conditions.

The San Diego Padres drafted two former Blazer pitchers in the recent MLB draft. Jeremy Gigliotti (East Stroudsburg) was selected in the 19th round while Vince Voiro (Penn) was taken in the 47th round. Gigliotti leaves tomorrow for Arizona while Voiro must decide if he wishes to remain at Penn for his senior year or go to the minor leagues.

Ryan Vogelsong (Quakertown Blazers, 96-97) added another chapter to his stunning comeback on Sunday when he pitched the Giants back into first place in the National League West. Vogelsong allowed only one run in eight innings as the Giants defeated the Rockies 2-1. The 6-4 right-hander scattered four hits while striking out seven and walking one. He is now 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.68, the second lowest in the Major Leagues. In 53.2 innings he has 42 strikeouts with 14 base-on-balls.

The Lehigh Valley Catz defeated the Blazers 21-5 on Thursday evening. Dan Klem (LaSalle) and Steve Rogers (Trinity) each contributed four hits while Luke Bainer (Morehead State) and Christian Joist (Montclair St.) added three hits a piece. Dalton Herrington (LSU-Eunice) added a three run home run. Tyler Freeman (Burlington CC) posted two hits for the Blazers. The Blazers look to get back on track Sunday when they host the Long Island Collegians in a 1pm doubleheader.

Ryan Vogelsong continued his remarkable comeback on Friday night when he allowed only an unearned run in six innings as the Giants defeated Oakland 2-1. The A's tainted fifth inning run ended Vogelsong's 17 1/3 inning scoreless streak. Vogelsong played for the Blazers in 1996 and 1997 prior to being drafted in 1998 by the Giants in the fifth round. Vogelsong is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 32.2 innings with 29 strikeouts and ten base on balls.

Jeremy Gigliotti (East Stroudsburg) was named PSAC East Pitcher of the Year. The red-shirt senior LHP tossed a no-hitter against Mansfield on Monday to put the Warriors into the playoffs. His 0.45 ERA is the lowest in the country and hitters are only hitting .131 against him. He has 73 strikeouts with 11 walks in 60 innings. Third baseman James Quigley (Kutztown) and catcher Matt Albaugh (Kutztown) join Gigliotti on the All-PSAC East First Team. Shortstop Evan Gallagher (East Stroudsburg) was named to the PSAC East second team. Two 2011 Blazers, outfielder Chris Edgar (Millersville) and starting pitcher Lou Trivino (Slippery Rock), were named to second teams in the East and West conferences respectively.

Darin Gorski (Kutztown Rockies / Quakertown Blazers), the top ACBL prospect in 2008, struck out a career high 10 batters over four innings in his first start as the St. Lucie Mets defeated Bradenton 9-4 on Wednesday in the Advanced A Florida State League. Gorski, a seventh round pick of the Mets, finished at 80 pitches with only four balls leaving the infield. Previously the 6-4 LHP had whiffed 14 and walked two in five games out of the bullpen. He now has a 24-3 SO:BB ratio in 15 innings with a 3.60 ERA. LHP Frank Gailey (Quakertown Blazers) is also pitching in the Florida State League and has posted a 1.64 ERA in seven relief appearances for the Dunedin Blue Jays. Click here to view the complete article

Former Blazer Ryan Vogelsong allowed only one earned run in five and two-thirds innings as Fresno (AAA, Giants) defeated Tacoma 9-2 on Tuesday. The former Kutztown University star is now 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 innings. He has 17 strikeouts with five walks. Pete Andrelzyck is pitching at Jacksonville ( AA, Marlins) while Ryan Buch ( Lo A, White Sox) allowed only one hit in six innings as Kannapolis lost their opener. LHPs Frank Gailey (Dunedin, Hi A, Blue Jays) and Darin Gorski ( St. Lucie, Hi A, Mets) are in the Florida State League. Another LHP J.D. Reichenbach is pitching for Lake County (Lo A, Indians) in the Midwest League. Two position players on the 2009 ACBL champion Blazers, Outfielder Greg Folgia and catcher Vin DiFazio, are playing in the Carolina League with Kinston ( Hi A, Indians) and Myrtle Beach (Hi A, Rangers) respectively.